|
|
Burnout 2: Point of Impact -- Developer's Cut
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics & Sound:
Let's face it, as a whole we're a savage society -- especially when it comes to car crashes. When you think about it, this explains a lot of things, such as how scriptless wonders like 'The Fast and the Furious' achieve blockbuster status and why NASCAR is so popular. We may put on our best face when in public, but each and every one of us enjoys seeing a car wreck -- and not just any car wreck, but a big, twisted, smoking wreck -- which is exactly what Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Developer's Cut gives gamers. The graphical engine behind Burnout 2's massive crashes is great, although it drifts more towards the arcade-style look, than other racing games do. Simply put, don't expect Gran Turismo 3 or Project Gotham. What Burnout 2 does give players, is a solid, smooth-running engine that is capable of handling the game's massive, living courses without so much as a hitch in frame rate. The cars in the game sport a nice look, and closely resemble many licensed cars found in other racing games. There's even a generous selection of paint schemes for each car (21 of which are Xbox exclusive), which means if you can't find your ideal scheme, you can at least find something that appeals to you. As I alluded to before, the more impressive aspect of Burnout 2's look is the number of objects on the screen at one time. In addition to the three cars you're racing against, you'll also have to dodge around busy intersections full of other cars, buses and big rigs. And, let's not forget the game's main event - the crashes. One of the biggest draws of the original Burnout was its over-the-top crash engine. As expected, the engine returns for the sequel and does not disappoint. Fenders are torn off, windows break, wheels end up in the backseat of other cars, you name it, and this game can do it. These big crashes are also complimented by big noises. Tires screeching, metal against metal - it's all good. Contrary to what the back of the box says, Burnout 2 does support the Xbox's Custom Soundtrack feature. For those who haven't used the feature, or are simply ignoring it, you really don't know what you're missing. The simple action of adding your own song to a game's soundtrack makes a bigger difference than you may think, and played a big part in contributing to this game's appeal. I even found myself adding songs I normally wouldn't listen to, just too see how well they'd hold up with the game's fast paced action. It's neat to see that in a pinch, Christina Aguilera's 'Fighter' makes an excellent racing tune. I was particularly impressed with the layout of this feature since it allowed me to instantly change the music track I was listening to, even mid-race. As always, it's the small details that reel me in. But, for those who would rather go with the game's original soundtrack, it is okay but doesn't really stick out as anything memorable. The soundtrack from the original Burnout is also included. |
|
|
Gameplay:
At its core, Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Developer's Cut is a standard arcade racer. After a short Training Mode, which shows you the ins and outs of racing, you begin the game with a collection of five cars and one circuit of the Championship Season unlocked. Each circuit contains anywhere from 3-6 different tracks. Course pacing in Burnout 2 is handled extremely well, and does a great job of giving you enough race without overdoing it. After completing a track, points are awarded based on your placing. The driver with the most points at the end of a circuit wins the entire thing. In order to unlock the next circuit, you must win the previous circuit. As you progress through each of the circuits, you'll unlock new tracks and also have the opportunity to unlock new play modes. Obtaining all gold medals on each track of a circuit will enable the Pursuit and Face/Off Modes to be unlocked. Pursuit places you in the role of a cop in a high-speed chase. After bashing the 'criminal car' into submission, it will be unlocked for use in the game's other play modes. Face/Off pits you in a one-on-one, high-stakes race against a car that can also be unlocked with a win. This mode is where you'll obtain the better cars in the game, especially after you unlock the Custom Championship Season, which is unlocked after completing the Championship Season. As 'standard' as Burnout 2's engine appears at first, it manages to throw in a few kinks to give it a flavor of its own. Whereas most racing games feature close courses, all of the courses in Burnout 2 take place in the open streets - meaning you'll have to contend with the normal traffic patterns of the city. Not only will you have to worry about what your opponents are doing, but you'll also have to be mindful of what every other car around you is doing - especially when you choose to go against traffic or race over busy intersections for an extra boost. Crashing you car doesn't affect the handling of your car at all; in fact, crashes mainly serve to set you back a little since your car is reset, in perfect condition, after the wreck is cleared. During the Championship Season, crashing into other cars is less of a problem since most of the time you can catch up with the pack after a bad wreck, but in the Custom Series the competition is fierce, so staying out of wrecks is the only way to assure victory. My one complaint about the entire racing engine was that traffic patterns reset after you pass them. As you race on tracks (and you will race on a few of them multiple times), you begin to not only get the layout of the track, but what to expect at certain areas of the track, such as where cars will always appear. This gave the game some predictability after awhile, which took some of the thrill out of racing in traffic. Outside of the racing seasons, Burnout 2 also offers a number of other events. The traditional Single and Multiplayer Modes are joined by the unlockable Pursuit Mode, which plays exactly like the variation found in Season mode, and the ultra-unique Crash Mode. Crash serves as a showcase for the game's impressive crash engine, and seems to be developed specifically for those people who wait it out for 2 hours in traffic just to see how bad the car wreck at the front is. After selecting a car, you're given one shot to make a lawyer's dream come true by seeing how big of a multi-car accident you can cause. Points are given in the form of dollar amounts, which unlock newer Crash courses. During the early courses in this mode, causing a massive pile-up is easy, but later ones take on an almost puzzle game like feel to them and require careful car selection and planning. Burnout 2 also supports Xbox Live, however, this support only allows players to update and rank themselves on a scoreboard, and not race online. I found this to be one of the game's bigger flaws since online racing support could have possibly catapulted Burnout 2 into AAA classification. |
|
|
Difficulty:
As a whole, Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Developer's Cut is a very balanced game - maybe even too balanced at times. When selecting a car, each has a different speed / acceleration rating. Common sense would tell you that the faster car would probably dominate on the track, but this isn't the case. There were numerous times that I was using the faster cars from the Custom Series against the cars found in the Championship Series, and having to use every trick in the book to stay ahead of the pack. This became especially frustrating when I found myself struggling to keep up with the game's various trucks and SUVs. That truck may have a 'Hemi' in it, but I doubt it would be able to keep up with a customized Viper. Another sticky point of the game is the blatant head starts the computer cars are allowed. There were countless times when the computer would start a second or two before the announcer said 'GO', which would sometimes cost me the race. Thankfully this doesn't happen too many times, but it does happen. |
|
|
Game Mechanics:
I've never been much of a hardcore racing fan, but after a few laps with Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Developer's Cut, I think I finally understand what other racing fans mean when they say 'white-knuckle action'. Burnout 2 is 50 percent concentration and 50 percent skill. While it's up to you to bring the concentration, the tight control setup helps augment any lack of skill you may have. Careening through traffic and pulling off bare misses (essential to building up a good boost meter) is easy thanks to the super-responsive steering, especially when using the D-pad. Hard turns and powerslides are also incredibly easy to pull off, which is good because some tracks will have you sliding more than driving. I really liked the boost feature in the game since it was handled a little better than most games. Instead of just kicking the boost in whenever you fill the meter, you have to activate it with a button press. I also liked that the game didn't force you to commit to using the boost, so you can use it to get across a busy intersection, but then return to normal conditions when going against congested city streets. Using up your entire boost in one fell swoop nets you a 'Burnout', which gives your car an even greater boost of speed. The menu system is very easy to navigate, although I did run across a few problems with the after-race menu. If a race isn't going your way, you can retire at anytime via the in-game menu. This brings you to the after-game menu, which, for whatever reason, shows your stats from the race and moves you to the next race. Conventional wisdom should say that if someone is exiting though the in-game menu, they're likely to not want to see the stats or move on the next race. A simple dump out to the main menu would have been much easier. Overall, Burnout 2 is a fun title and something worth checking out - especially on the Xbox. The action is fast and furious, the various play modes offer a ton of replay value, and the Custom Soundtrack adds a whole new dimension to the game. This is a game that nearly anyone should be able to pick up and play, making it friendly to non-gamers as well as the casual racing fan. The lack of Online racing options and the whole 'balance' issue keep this from being the Xbox arcade racing title to beat. |
|
|
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
